The invention is directed to ski poles and particularly to the bales and tip end of the ski pole.
Ski poles are commonly used by a skier to aid skiing maneuvers in Alpine, in down hill, slalom, competition and cross-country activity and in cross-country skiing, for pleasure, competition, long-distance skiing and the like. The ski pole provides balance, facilitate turning and are used to propel the skier and even assist in braking the forward movement of the skier.
Generally the skier holds one pole in hand and each pole can comprise a shaft or shank which can be composed of metal or synthetic resin or either solid or the more preferable tube like form, and which is provided with a grip at its upper end and a point at its lower end.
The grip may be formed as a sleeve around the shaft and thus has a axis coincident with that of the shaft. A flexible or resilient open loop or closed loop or strap can be affixed to the head or distal end of the grip to be fitted over the wrist and thereby prevent loss of the poles by the skier.
Generally, the pointed end is adapted to bite into the snow or ice and project somewhat beyond a bale (basket) in the form of a disk or ring adjacent to or near the lower end of the pole to prevent excess penetration of the poles into the snow and to enable the pole to gain a more effective purchase of the snow.
The grip can be molded from any suitable resilient material such as plastic, rubber or the like.
Improved skills of the skiers have required more sophisticated skiing equipment and particularly poles which allow the skier better balance and a greater ability to maneuver and stop.
The loop or strap is always a problem in that in falls or the like the poles remains attached to the arm of the user via the loops or straps. This can be a dangerous condition as the poles can cause injury the user, for example, cause an arm to be broken or tip penetration into the body of the skier.
In some circumstances, the bale (also sometimes referred to as a basket or disk) can be come detached and lost thereby rendering the pole less useful as to limiting snow depth penetration of the pole.
Applicant's invention covered in application Ser. No. 07/913,881 filed on Jul. 16, 1992 and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,223, teaches a new and unique ski pole bale and tip which is quite successful in spring or summer skiing where the snow surface is soft and penetratable. It was found, however, that in icy conditions the tip did not sufficiently penetrate frozen snow or ice in the manner desired. This invention solves this deficiency of pole tip penetration in frozen snow and ice.
There has not been a completely successful way to overcome these last mentioned problems until the emergence of the instant invention.